Cisco Expert Network Consulting and Support

Cisco offers a comprehensive catalog of wireless networking devices and software tools intended to provide anywhere, anytime access to information and other resources and to facilitate teamwork among workers, partners, suppliers, and clients. Cisco's wireless offerings include Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of wireless access points, as well as Cisco's Wireless LAN Controller plug-ins and standalone devices. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless consulting experts can help organizations of all sizes to utilize Cisco wireless products to support the new model of BYOD computing by integrating their wired and wireless environments to benefit from easy deployment, predictable performance, single-point management, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and across-the-board protection.

Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture can expand to as many as 18,000 wireless access points with full Layer 3 connectivity at central or remote venues such as enterprise headquarters, university lecture halls, branches, and telecommuter homes. Cisco's 802.11x APs and wireless controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are designed to deliver the same level of protection, throughput, and ease of management for WLANs that businesses expect in their wired ecosystem. Cisco's architecture incorporates integrated mobility services like Voice over IP, HD video, and safe guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless architecture allows organizations to create Wi-Fi environments that improve the way they work and improve productivity via a dynamic and connected employee base.

Progent's Cisco CCIE network consultants offers remote or on-premises support to help your organization to plan, deploy, maintain, expand, and troubleshoot converged wired/wireless networks of any size and for any venue. Also, Progent can provide economical online and onsite Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to design and deploy a wireless LAN with customized wireless access point clustering optimized for your specific office layout, building characteristics, and intended application.

Cisco Small Business, Aironet and Meraki Access Points
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of APs allow organizations to integrate wired/wireless networks to provide the accessibility, density, throughput, security and manageability required for virtually any environment. These wireless access points range from bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with data rates of 300 Mbps for very small businesses or telecommuters to dual-radio 802.11ac APs capable of handling 200 or more wireless clients per AP and delivering throughput of up to 1.9 Gigabits per second. Cisco's current line of APs can be combined or clustered to provide the scale to handle sites crowded with clients and with a high incidence of video-intense application software.

Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of APs
Cisco's Small Business Family of APs are Linux-powered devices engineered as entry-level wireless APs for small offices. Many models in the Cisco Small Business family of access points support Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which allows you to configure, manage and troubleshoot a group of access points from one device through an intuitive web browser tool. All models support POE and provide Quality of Service (QoS), rogue AP detection, and bridge mode for wirelessly connecting to a second network.

The Cisco Small Business WAP121 Wireless-N AP is a wall-mountable, single-radio 2.4GHz device that can handle 16 802.11n wireless clients, includes a 10/100 Ethernet port, permits up to 4 access pointss and 40 active clients per cluster, and can handle data rates of 300 Mbps. Cisco's Small Business WAP131 is a desktop dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n AP that can support 16 active wireless clients on each radio for a total of up to 32 clients, includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface, and delivers sustained data rates of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP131 does not support AP clustering. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 is a general-purpose Wave 1 dual-radio 802.11ac/n wireless access point that features a one Gbit Power over Ethernet port and can handle up to 16 clients per radio with 867 Mbps performance for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco WAP1501 supports 4 APs per cluster.

Cisco's Small Business WAP321 AP is a wall-mountable single-band (either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device with support for 80 active wireless clients sharing an 8-AP cluster. The Cisco WAP321 features a GE port and can deliver a data rate of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-band 802.11n AP with a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and can handle 32 wireless clients per radio for up to 64 clients, and deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP351 AP does not allow clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 is a dual-radio 802.11ac Wave 1 wireless access point that features a 5 x Gb Ethernet LAN switch, allows 32 active WLAN clients per radio, and delivers 867 Mbps throughput for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 allows eight access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band AP that supports 802.11a/b/g/n and the latest 802.11ac wireless networking specification. The WAP371 includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface, can handle 32 active wireless clients on each radio, and 8 APs for each cluster.

The Cisco WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio wireless access point features a GE LAN interface and two radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that deliver 450 Mbps throughput for each radio, can handle 64 clients per radio, and allow 16 access points for each cluster. The Cisco WAP551 is like Cisco's WAP 561 but has a single selectable band (2.4 or 5.0 GHz). The Cisco WAP571 and WAP571E (the weather-proof outside version) are dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wireless-AC/N APs incorporating 2 x GE LAN interfaces with link aggregation (LAG), and as high as 1.9 Gbps throughput with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps over 802.11n. Both wireless access points support 32 active WAN clients per radio and 16 wireless access points per cluster.

To learn more about Progent's consulting services for current and legacy Cisco Small Business family of wireless access points, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi APs planning and support.

Cisco's Aironet Family of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has consistently been the market leading access point solution. Aironet APs run the gamut from value-priced entry-level devices to enterprise-class APs. Cisco's Aironet series span several generations of devices supporting the evolving 802 standard. Cisco's latest portfolio of Aironet wireless access points support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and include 802.11ac support, which offers three times the throughput as well as greater coverage and density compared to the previous generation of devices. The latest dual-band Aironet APs can support 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for client devices that do not have 802.11ac radios.

The oldest Aironet APs are now outdated devices that have come to end-of-sale status and are not supported by Cisco. Progent continues to support the entire Aironet family of wireless access points and can assist you to manage and troubleshoot your existing Aironet wireless system or upgrade smoothly to the latest Aironet products. To find out more about Progent's consulting services for current and outdated Aironet wireless access points, see Aironet wireless access points system design and troubleshooting.

Meraki Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor access points range from budget-friendly devices for general use to enterprise-class products supporting up to 2.5 Gigabit per second throughput. Each Meraki indoor AP offers next-generation capabilities such as self-configuring installation, advanced security, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, built-in traffic analysis, zero-touch web-based firmware updates, and centralized cloud management for multiple sites. Each Cisco Meraki indoor access point also incorporates two powerful client-serving radios with enhanced receive sensitivity as well as a dedicated radio that offers (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection at line rate.

Meraki outdoor access points are IP67 certified, designed to withstand rugged outdoor conditions, and able to resist dust, vibration and humidity. Cisco's Meraki outdoor APs include a Gigabit Ethernet port and deliver advanced capabilities that include cloud management with multi-site control, native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan, single-click guest access and isolation firewall, application-aware traffic shaping, plus self-configuring mesh with MIMO. To find out more about Progent's support for Meraki APs and management, refer to Meraki wireless access points planning and support.

Cisco Wave 2 802.11ac Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 wireless controllers enable realtime data exchange, provisioning, control, monitoring and troubleshooting for Cisco Wi-Fi devices and software services. Cisco offers both physical and virtual Wi-Fi controllers for unified management of WiFi networks, but networks with many wireless APs typically require physical Wi-Fi controllers. Current generation Wi-Fi controller devices from Cisco deliver major benefits in comparison to Wave 1 and older models such as higher performance, concurrent support for both 1G and 10G interfaces, enhanced application visibility and control (AVC), and advanced, integrated security.

Cisco's 3504 Wireless Controller is a value-priced device with a desktop enclosure and designed for small and medium-sized organizations. You can install the 3504 in a centralized network environment such as in small branch and home-based offices managed across the wide-area network via FlexConnect, or in mesh deployments where wiring is limited. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller supports up to 150 access points and 3,000 clients, delivers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 wireless controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet interface and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Access points can be attached to the controller through two PoE ports. The 3504 Wi-Fi controller features fast failover for access points and clients, which allows uninterrupted availability for apps. Like other Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers available from Cisco, the 3504 model has the integrated ability to work with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.

Cisco's 5520 Wireless Controller, offered in a 1RU enclosure, is intended to support midsize to large enterprises and campus networks and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures. The 5520 wireless controller supports as many as 1,500 access points and 20,000 client users, offers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 wireless controller features two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates solid-state storage, backup fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

Cisco's 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit enclosure, is a top-of-the-line wireless controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 WiFi controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and can handle up to 6,000 APs and 64,000 users. The 8540 WiFi controller offers data rates up to 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 comes with four 1-GB or 10GE interfaces and features solid-state storage, redundant power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi LAN Controllers
Cisco wireless controllers reduce the time and cost needed to configure, monitor, and operate Wi-Fi networks by centralizing control of critical tasks such as setting up wireless access points, applying single-point policies across converged wired/wireless LANs, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service for IP voice and video, monitoring and optimizing system performance, activating security capabilities to guard against unauthorized access and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and handling IPv6 clients. Cisco has designed wireless network controllers for businesses of any size and can provide standalone desktop appliances, modular add-on wireless controllers for Cisco ISR routers and Catalyst switches, and Catalyst switches with integrated wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi network controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir technology to avoid signal interference and produce self-healing wireless LANs for maximum 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and security. Integrated Apple Bonjour Gateways enable discovery, advertisement and policy throughout WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple-based applications. For high availability, Cisco wireless network controllers support AP and client stateful failover by enabling a standby high-availability controller to synch with a primary wireless controller for AP license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the primary wireless controller goes down, thousands of access points and clients can switchover at subsecond speeds to the secondary wireless controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E provides entry-level 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 routers used by smaller businesses and satellite offices. This affordable and scalable module can support from five to 200 access points and up to 6000 clients. (To find out about Progent's remote and onsite consulting and troubleshooting support services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management consulting.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches designed for small to mid-size businesses and branches and features an integrated wireless network controller with the capability to handle 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and 25 access points and 1000 wireless clients on each switch. Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches designed for mid-size and large organizations and feature a built-in wireless network controller supporting up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and the ability to handle up to 50 access points and up to 2000 wireless clients. The WiSM2 is a plug-in blade for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless LAN controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and capable of 20 Gbps performance and with support for 1000 access points and 15,000 wireless clients. (For information concerning Progent's consulting services for Catalyst switches, refer to Cisco switches deployment and troubleshooting services.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are value-priced desktop units that simplify the deployment and management of wireless networks for SMBs and satellite offices. The Cisco 2500 Series wireless controller can handle 5 to 75 wireless access points and up to 1000 wireless clients and offers sustained performance of 1 Gbps.

The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU unit designed for medium-sized to large businesses and campus environments and can manage up to 500 APs and 7,000 wireless clients while delivering 8 Gbps performance. The Cisco 5760 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large campus environments with support for 1000 wireless access points and 12,000 wireless clients and delivering performance of 60 Gbps to handle high client densities and high usage of media-rich mobile applications.

Cisco's Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is designed to manage massive collections of wireless branches from one location, avoiding the need for a Wi-Fi controller at every branch. The 1RU rackmount Flex 7500 lets you establish a private cloud to configure, monitor, manage, and repair up to 6000 access points and up to 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. Cisco's 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU rackmount appliance designed to monitor and control Wi-Fi environments for very large campuses or for service providers and can scale to handle 6000 wireless points and 64,000 wireless clients while delivering 10 Gbps performance.

For more information about Cisco WiFi controllers, see Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.

Legacy Cisco Access Points, Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the IEEE 802.11ac standard for Wi-Fi virtually made obsolete all prior releases of Wi-Fi devices for many environments that have high densities of wireless clients and high usage of HD video applications. Even for businesses who do not currently need the bandwidth efficiency of 802.11ac, many of Cisco wireless products have arrived at end-of-life status, which can represent serious maintenance and regulatory compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants offer remote and onsite support services for a wide range of earlier-generation Cisco wireless products. Progent can in addition help companies to assess the potential ROI for upgrading up-of-date wireless technology and can help in designing and executing cost-effective, non-disruptive upgrades. The following are a few of Cisco legacy Wi-Fi products that Progent's consultants still support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series wireless access points are ideal for conventional workplaces and similar sites which have minimal environmental instability. These devices include built-in antennas that provide predictable omnidirectional coverage patterns. The Cisco 1130G Series product is designed for controlled domains that do not permit 802.11a/5GHz transmission.

Aironet 1230AG or 1240AG Series wireless access points are intended for more challenging radio frequency situations like factories and warehouses or above suspended ceilings which typically require flexible protruding antennas and durable cases. The Aironet 1240G Series device is available for regulatory locations that do not allow 802.11a transmission.

Aironet 1500 Series lightweight outdoor wireless mesh APs provide an economical, expandable, secure outdoor Wi-Fi solution for enterprise campuses and for public sites that need connectivity for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges provide a high-speed and multi-featured technology for connecting multiple LANs in a metropolitan situation or public wireless network. Cisco wireless bridges provide a flexible, easy-to-use solution that satisfies the security requirements of WAN professionals. They support both point-to-point and P2MP implementations with good range and the ability to handle data throughput as high as 54 Mbps.

Cisco wireless bridges offer throughput substantially faster than E1/T1 lines for much lower cost, eliminating the necessity of expensive leased lines when connecting separate buildings. Because bridges carry no recurring charges, savings on connection bills quickly pay for the startup equipment costs. Self-installed private lines and even leased lines made of metal or fiber-optic cable can require considerable startup costs in cases where they are impeded by barriers like highways, railroads, or bodies of water. Cisco wireless bridges can be deployed rapidly with a fast ROI.

Cisco 1300 outdoor access points/bridges can be implemented as stand-alone access points, wireless bridges, or workgroup bridges. These devices have a ruggedized enclosure and provide fast, affordable wireless interfaces between numerous stationary or mobile networks and clients.

Cisco Aironet 1400 family bridges offer high-performance, reliable outside connections for line-of-sight applications. These devices include a durable enclosure that can hold up to harsh outside environments and can function in wide temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers provide single-point management of wireless networks by streamlining the handling of key technologies including intrusion prevention, fast RF management, automatic configuration, and full N+1 redundancy. Wireless Network controllers operate with small access points to offer superior performance and high-end administration functions.

Cisco WLAN Controllers offer the control, scalability, security, and resilience that system managers require to build safe, large-scale wireless environments, from satellite offices to small companies to headquarter campuses. Cisco's first-generation Wireless Network Controllers can be configured together to provide support for as many as 2400 access points per roaming domain.

Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Controller Module for Integrated Services (IS) Routers offers small-to medium businesses and large corporations an economical way to implement and control secure WLANs at branch offices. These wireless LAN controllers supervise up to 12 Cisco access points and are supported on 2800/3800 Routers and 3700 IS Routers. (To learn about Progent's online and on-premises consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router configuration and management consulting.)

How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Company with Cisco Wireless Solutions
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified consultant to help your business to design, deploy, manage and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless ecosystem incorporating a wide array of wireless products that offer the identical security, expandability, and manageability you expect from your wired network. Progent can help you to manage legacy Wi-Fi products from Cisco or migrate efficiently to current 802.11ac-comaptible products. Progent's CISM and CISSP security professionals can advise you about how to design security into your WLAN and your business processes. Progent's disaster recovery consultants and business continuity planners can assist you to configure the high availability technology incorporated into Cisco's wired/wireless products so your converged infrastructure provides continuing return on investment.

Progent’s Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to design and deploy a state-of-the-art wireless network optimized for your environment, providing a wireless ecosystem that delivers seamless coverage, high performance and capacity, QoS to accommodate IP voice and video, enterprise-class security, and simplified management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and costs, or onsite for more complex situations.

For a further look at Progent's wireless consulting services, visit Progent's Wireless Consulting.

For additional details about Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco solutions, select a subject:

• Overview of Cisco Expertise
• Fast Online Support from a CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Configuration and Troubleshooting Support
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower Services: Setup and Management Services
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Engineering Services
• PIX 500 Series Firewall Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Routers Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Aironet Access Points Consulting Support
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi APs Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Consulting
• Meraki Wireless APs Consulting Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Integration and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting and Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Integration Expertise
• Catalyst Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Meraki MS Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Security and VPN Consulting Expertise
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Integration Consulting
• Design Expertise for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Network Optimization Expertise for Service Providers
• Centralized Management Strategies for Cisco-powered Environments